This paper was designed to capture the determinants of the agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) level across 60 provinces in Vietnam during the period 1990-2006. The TFP level in Tornqvist form was used to regress on 4 groups of determinants: omitted inputs of agricultural production process; quality of inputs used in agricultural production; technology factors; and output structure. The estimated results showed that: (i) Vietnam’s agricultural sector became relatively more capital intensive; (ii) South provinces were more productive, while North Midlands and Central Coast tended to lag further behind; (iii) labour mobility played a very important role in resources accumulation in agriculture in Vietnam, and so in improving TFP; and (iv) agricultural TFP was significantly influenced by land quality, farm size and land fragmentation.
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, the largest of the cranial nerves. It is characterized by severe, sudden, and recurrent facial pain, often triggered by light touch or a breeze. Treatment options for TN include medication, nerve blocks, and surgery, but radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has emerged as a promising alternative. RFA is a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat energy to destroy the small portion of the trigeminal nerve responsible for the pain. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia and can be done as an outpatient procedure. RFA has been shown to provide long-term pain relief for TN patients with a low complication rate. However, RFA is not suitable for all TN patients and may not be effective for those with multiple pain sites. Despite these limitations, RFA is a valuable option for TN patients who are not responding to other treatments. Furthermore, RFA is a good alternative for a patient unsuitable for surgery. Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term effectiveness of RFA and identify the best candidates for the procedure.
This study aims to assess the protection for Vietnamese agriculture under trade liberalization based on the input–output approach. From a theoretical perspective, the authors develop a general framework to estimate the effective rate of protection using an input–output table, taking into account tariffs, subsidies and value-added tax. Based on the data of 2012 and 2016, with a projection to 2020, the empirical results reveal that agricultural production, which is considered as Vietnam’s comparative advantage, is insignificantly protected. From the year 2012 to 2016, the effective rate of protection declined for primary agriculture and its supporting sectors, and would become negative by 2020. This implies that Vietnamese farmers are at a disadvantage due to the effect of trade liberalization. Furthermore, it is empirically revealed that the primary agricultural sector has a high value-added multiplier, which means a significant contribution to the domestic economy, is not protected by the government’s tax and tariff policies. Based on the study results, the authors suggest some policy recommendations to improve the situation, which are focused on the reduction of the value-added tax rate on inputs, while making industries with a high spillover effect to the domestic economy a key priority.
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